This call is hosted by the Christian Peacebuilding Network, a multi-org group we helped found, and is part of a series of monthly conversations to help connect Christian peacebuilders and discuss themes related to peacebuilding and the Christian faith.
If we want to decolonize our faith and peacebuilding work, we need to critically examine the impact of colonialism on our religious beliefs and practices as well as on the way we go about building peace. We recognize that historical injustices and biases have shaped both our present-day faith and peacebuilding work, suppressing perspectives and insights from marginalized communities. The process of decolonization can free all of us from Western-centric religious frameworks and approaches to peacebuilding and conflict transformation so we can learn how to more closely follow Jesus, our teacher and Lord who himself lived and died as a colonized Middle Easterner.
If you’re a Christian peacebuilder, join us for this online discussion to talk and process together about the following questions.
Discussion questions:
How has imperialistic thinking become part of our Christian faith? What might we need to unlearn?
How has colonialism impacted the way we engage in peace work, and how should we change our posture or approach?
Time:
3:00pm Central Europe (5:00pm East Africa Time, 4:00pm Jerusalem, 2:00pm UK, 9:00am USA Eastern)
Facilitators:
Philip Kakungulu
Philip aka Philipstargate lives in Kampala, Uganda with his family. He is a seminary graduate in Christian Ministry and Theology, having majored in Faith Based Training in Conflict Transformation for Trainers. He is also a founding member of the African Peace Warriors Network, formally known as the Pan African Peace Network.
He lives with the conviction that God’s peacebuilding mission forms the basic essence of Christianity and that we participate in the Kingdom of God as we pursue peace: peace with God, self, neighbors, and the world. This all-encompassing peace is the core of what Christians are called to work for in the world.
Jebaraj S C
Jebaraj pastors Faith Church of God, a nondenominational church in Chennai, India, where he lives with his wife Nancy and their two daughters. He received his M.Div from Hindustan Bible Institute (HBI) Chennai and was ordained by the Indian National Evangelical Churches in the year 2000. In addition to pastoring, he worked with the Inter-Collegiate Prayer Fellowship (ICPF) in the Tamilnadu State of India from 2001 to 2011 while also studying to obtain his MA and M.Phil in Christian Studies.
Over the last two decades, Jebaraj’s faith has shifted significantly, and he now believes the focus for Christians should be peacebuilding in the midst of all the religious divisions and conflicts around us. Christian priorities to proselytize and convert their neighbors contribute significantly to interpersonal and intergroup hostilities and even political “othering” of Christians on the communal and national level. Instead, Christians must learn to build peace in order to live as blessings for their neighbors and communities.